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3.21.2011

My sister-in-law Katie has the cutest way of keeping her family posted on her pregnancy. I thought it would be a fun way to document the rest of the pregnancy. Thanks for the idea!

The Bump:

Here's the bump in all its glory at 25 weeks and 3 days! I feel like I exploded just over the last two weeks. I'm starting my third trimester. Doc says baby is measuring about two weeks ahead.

Here's hoping for a June baby and not a huge July baby. :)

Maternity Clothes:

A couple weeks ago Brett and I bought a couple pairs of maternity work pants on sale at Kohls. I'm still wearing some of my old pants with the help of my bella band (complete life saver by the way) but I am loving the comfort of my maternity dress pants. Most of my shirts aren't maternity shirts, they are just shirts that are long and/or flowy enough that I can get away with wearing them.

Most fun recent purchase? Brett bought me some incredible comfy yoga pants. I love coming home and slipping into a pair of those and one of Brett's large t-shirts.

Best Moment This Week:

Brett and I went to a wedding on Saturday. It was only my third temple wedding that I have been able to witness and it is always such a wonderful opportunity to be present at such a wonderful event. My favorite part was hearing all of the promised blessings of a celestial marriage and being reminded that because of the covenants that Brett and I made, our family will be together forever. Hearing the promises of the temple moved me more than ever now that I am carrying our first child,
our first promised blessing.

Movement:

So up till last week I mostly felt faint little flutters and thumps. Now I can tell if this little girl is ever awake because if she is awake she is moving. She's the most active in the morning when I am teaching my first four class periods and late at night when I lay down. She also seems to kick a lot more when I eat apples. She is quite the powerful kicker and she responds when my belly is touched. Just yesterday Brett was hugging me and he felt a swift kick in his stomach when our stomachs met.
I told him our little girl was just saying hi.

Food Craving:

Grapefruit, grapefruit, and grapefruit. I tell you I can't get enough of them! If I sit down and start with half of a grapefruit I will ultimately end up eating another, and another, and another.
Just last night I ate three (that's six halfs) in one sitting.

Sprinting. I'm coaching track and although I am able to demonstrate a lot more than I thought I'd be able to, I still can't do what I'm used to and it is very depressing.
I miss the completely freeing feeling of sprinting as fast as I can and feeling the wind in my hair.

I also miss my waist. I see cute clothes in the store that flatter the waist and make a mental note that I will rock that outfit that once I have a waist again.

Sleep:

I've been pretty restless lately. It's hard when I am trying to fall asleep and our little girl is just doing summer saults and kicking all over the place. I love feeling the kicks and I savor the moment, but then I end up staying up far to late counting the "thump... thump...thumps" that she sends my way. It's getting harder to get comfortable and I find myself tossing and turning all night. (Which is really different for me considering that I usually have no problem sleeping or getting comfortable). The positive change in my sleep? I'm no longer waking up to excruciating leg cramps in my sleep anymore. Those evil charley horses plagued me almost every night from weeks 16-22.

What I Am Looking Forward To:

Spring break! Brett and I were planning to take a train to San Francisco for our babymoon, but we decided it would be better to hang around close and take a mini vacation here in Utah. We're going to go have a spa day, go out to a few fancy dinners, see some sights, and spend some money on activities we normally wouldn't. I can't wait! Also, Brett and I are moving to Salt Lake City at the end of May.

I am so excited to live closer to family and friends in the city.

Symptoms:

I'm so happy to have the whole morning sickness and extreme fatigue out of the way. I still throw up about once every couple weeks but it isn't because of nausea, it's usually caused by coughing in the morning. My gag reflex is still super sensitive.

Right now I have a lot of energy and I've been in a very good mood. Baby girl has caused me to have some sciatica, pain and tingling down my legs, but that comes and goes. I have had more back pain as well as my belly continues to push out and out.

3.07.2011

If you get irritated by that girl who goes on and on and on about how amazing her husband is and just gushes about all the amazing things he does, then you may want to stop reading now because this is going to get gushy.

Last chance. You're still here?

Well here goes.

This man...

deserves a massive thank you. Brett has been an amazing support to me over the last few months. Here is a list of just 10 of the things he's done the last few months that have meant the world to me.

While I spent a few months vomiting a few times a day, Brett was at my side rubbing my back, holding my hair, with crackers and a cup of ginger ale to help ease my stomach when I was through.

Brett single-handedly washed every dirty dish for nearly three months so that I could "rest" (aka pass out for five hours) and avoid throwing up.

He has made the drive to and from Provo between work and class to bring me Einstein Bagles, Jdawgs, Olive Garden soup and salad, and anything else my heart desires.

He has rubbed my swollen feet, my achy back, and my growing belly.

He has cooked when I am too tired to cook, he's cleaned when I am too worn out to clean.

He still snuggles me even though I've inherited a new sleeping habit from pregnancy (snoring!)

He has been understanding when I've been frustrated, emotional, and moody.

He surprises me with notes, treats, and acts of service to remind me that he loves me.

Brett has been completely selfless and willing to help in whatever way he can. (Oh and he hasn't complained once).

In addition to all that, Brett has been a huge support to his parents in SLC while they have been going through a rough time. For the last few months Brett and I have been taking trips up to Salt Lake City every weekend and sometimes weekdays. Back in November we received news that Brett's dad Cliff has cancer. In December, Cliff went through two intensive surgeries. Cliff has recovered beautifully from those operations and is now on his third week of chemotherapy.

Cliff is the most active man you will ever meet, but the surgery and the chemo have made it difficult for him to do the things he's used to doing. Brett has spent his weekends doing whatever he can to help around the house and be a support to his parents. He spends his weekends rubbing his dad's feet, shoveling, cutting firewood, pruning trees, painting (his parent's entire basement), working in the garden, moving five full filing cabinets (drawer by drawer), moving furniture upstairs, moving furniture downstairs, organizing the garage, hanging blinds, installing light fixtures, and doing anything else to help his dad and mom. I don't know how he has all the energy to do it, but I know that I am really lucky. Brett is a helper. He will do anything he can to help the people that he loves and it makes him so happy to serve. I feel so lucky that he loves me. I'm so lucky that I have him as my husband and I know he will be an incredible Dad.

I'm back to coaching track again and this season is definitely different than any other track season because I'm carrying a football in my stomach. I must say it feels weird wearing my old track gear with a pregnant belly. I feel like a track star who got into trouble.

Today was our first practice and I was a little worried going into it. I have quite the hands-on coaching mentality and I usually do every workout, drill, etc. with my kids. This made me wonder, how on earth am I supposed to coach? I can't do abs anymore. I can't do any exercise while on my back. I can't exert myself and I can't sprint. I'm barely allowed to break a sweat. In addition to that we had over 200 kids sign up for track this year.

I'm happy to report that today's practice went very well. Since my belly isn't too huge I was able to demonstrate all of the sprinting drills thanks to a support belt that my sister-in-law gave me. I did however have to keep reminding myself to take it easy. My muscles remember how to do all the drills and they want to do them perfectly and quickly. I had to keep reminding my legs to not get carried away! I also had amazing returning athletes from last year who remembered every drill and could help demonstrate to the other athletes.

It's going to be interesting changing up my coaching style but I think I'm up for the challenge.